Bridge SearchFounder
Gary Charles
Founder and Executive Search Partner, Bridge Search
Gary Charles is the Founder and Executive Search Partner at Bridge Search, an executive search firm focused on financial services and technology. Based in New York, Gary brings more than eighteen years of recruitment and search experience across London and New York, working with global financial institutions, venture-backed startups and growing technology businesses.
Gary founded Bridge Search to provide founders, investors and executive teams with a direct, personal approach to senior hiring. His experience across the London and New York markets informs his work with organizations seeking leadership talent in North America and Europe.
- 18+ Years in recruitment and search London and New York
- 5 Areas of expertise Financial services and technology
- 2 Hiring markets North America and Europe
Areas of Expertise
- 01
Financial Services & Capital Markets
Executive search across institutional investment, capital markets and financial technology.
- 02
Asset Management & ETFs
Senior hiring for asset managers, fund management businesses and related product teams.
- 03
Product & Engineering Leadership
Search for senior product and engineering leaders in technology businesses.
- 04
Data, AI & Quantitative Trading
Specialist hiring across data science, machine learning and quantitative engineering.
- 05
High-Growth Technology
Leadership recruitment for venture-backed and growing technology companies.
Professional Background
Before founding Bridge Search, Gary spent more than eighteen years building and leading recruitment and search teams in London and New York. He studied History and Business at the University of the West of England, following his education at Epsom College.
- University
University of the West of England
History and Business
- School
Epsom College
Epsom, Surrey
Track record
Leadership appointments, product hires and team builds for global banks, fintechs and venture-backed technology companies. Client names stay confidential.
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Executive Director, Compute Grid Leadership
Global Investment Bank SingaporePlaced an Executive Director to lead critical compute grid infrastructure for one of the world's leading global investment banks.
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Chief Executive Officer
Global Fintech Venture EuropeAppointed a CEO to lead the European business of an innovative financial technology venture.
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Product Function Build-Out
US Banking Institution United StatesSupported the growth of the Product function, securing key talent to strengthen product leadership and capabilities across the business.
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Product Leadership and Team Build
Series A VC-Backed NeobankBacked by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) New York CityBuilt product leadership and supported the wider product team build-out for a high-growth neobank working across Web2 and Web3 financial technology.
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Founding Product Manager
Series B VC-Backed Technology PlatformBacked by Felicis United StatesDelivered a founding product appointment for a high-growth technology platform, helping establish product leadership for the company's next phase of growth.
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ETF Product and Operations
Leading Financial Institutions New York City and BostonDelivered multiple specialist appointments across ETF product management, operations and capital markets for established financial institutions.
Approach to Executive Search
Gary approaches executive search as a long-term partnership. He works to understand the ambitions of both the organization and the individual, with an emphasis on finding leadership talent suited to the role and the business.